


This war is ours

by Velums



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7770994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velums/pseuds/Velums
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A loose collaboration between my wonderful wife and I. Whom I am dedicating this to.<br/>The gorgeous renders are her doing, all the credit goes to her for them and inspiring me to write this piece.<br/>Thank you <a href="http://schmogg.tumblr.com/">Schmogg</a>, you've brought me so many smiles and I am eternally grateful.</p>
    </blockquote>





	This war is ours

**Author's Note:**

> A loose collaboration between my wonderful wife and I. Whom I am dedicating this to.  
> The gorgeous renders are her doing, all the credit goes to her for them and inspiring me to write this piece.  
> Thank you [Schmogg](http://schmogg.tumblr.com/), you've brought me so many smiles and I am eternally grateful.

  
  


_Lost soldier come back home; this war is not yours anymore._

One staggering slow step after another carried Jack further away from the commotion. It was too loud, he couldn't think.  
Each breath that he drank in was a strained gasp which only made his lungs ache. Hungry for life and crying out for that much needed oxygen.

The searing pain in his side tore him down with every heavy footfall.  
Chin up, don't let them see just how close you are to falling apart at the seams.  
That one wrong move would unravel all that was left.

Blood. The scent seeped in through his mask, a sickly perfume, the stench of death. How it clung to him refusing to leave.  
Threatening to suffocate him like a wet blanket.  
It was all he smelled, tasted even. Was it his? Had to be.  
His thoughts were scattered, he had no hopes of collecting them with how they slipped through his fingers like smoke.  
Lost, just as much as he was.

This boy scout was straying from his path and the only thing that kept him going were his instincts to survive, as well as that stubborn head planted square on his shoulders.  
He needed to rest, recoup and reorganize. The mission? Compromised.  
Where were his troops? Had they not been with him just moments ago?

Every star eventually loses its luster before dying out.  
And this bright star was fading fast.

 _Not yet soldier, not yet. Don't give in. Keep going._  
But he couldn't. No matter how hard he pushed himself he couldn't bring himself to take one more step.  
We all falter, even the best of us, after all we are only human.

Dropping to one knee he was reminded that while he might have been a super soldier he was still mortal.  
Mortality, man's greatest flaw.  
After all, nobody could escape the clutches of their own demise. Could they?  
Perhaps it was a fitting finale for this star who had given up so much for his cause.  
Jack struggled for but a moment before turning to slump back with a exasperated grunt, he didn't know where he was. He just needed to catch his breath, maybe even close his eyes for a time. But there is no rest for the righteous.  
The sound of footsteps were what caught his attention first, then came that voice. He knew that voice. But it sounded so distant, as if it were from a memory.  
"Morrison."  
His heart skipped a beat before leaping up into the back of his throat. Those fight or flight instincts of his kicked into full throttle the moment he recognized him. There was no mistaking it. Gabriel.  
There was no escaping, he was caught between two choices. Reason with him or do what he should have done ages ago and put an end to it right here, right now.

But it was as if Gabriel knew, that bastard always knew, what his thoughts were before they even passed through his mind. It infuriated him.  
What was he doing? Why wasn't he attacking him? His movements were slow, cautious even. Which was everything Gabe was not.  
The hot rush of confusion hit him and pulled him under the rising waves of his addled mind.  
Soon enough his deluded thoughts were agitated by a ripple of frustration. He lapsed. Balking for a second when that dark shadow closed in on him.  
"Gab-" Jack's voice fell short and he winced, his head felt as if it were swimming through a fog.  
He didn't understand. All those memories from years ago came flooding back to him and he felt their crushing weight on his chest. Was Gabriel showing him pity?  
No. This was different. Why was it different?  
"Jack."  
There it came again and it was as if he had been sucker punched in the gut. It knocked all the remaining air from him and left him entirely breathless. The sound of genuine concern was laced in Gabriel's tone.  
What little strength the soldier did have he used to try and lift his weapon, but it happened again, as if the other had read his mind so clearly.  
What felt like ages had been mere seconds that dragged on, one longer than the last.

"Reyes, get away from m--" The old dog rasped in his last attempt at trying to bare his teeth. His bark had always been far worse than his bite.

"At ease, Jack." Gabriel ordered him, his one hand moving to touch Jack's shoulder while the other guided that pulse rifle away, "Come back home soldier.. Let's get you patched up."

It was as if Gabe had reached through that confusion that clouded his judgement and pulled him out of it. That moment of understanding, something so simple could mean so much.  
Jack’s shoulders relaxed, the building tension in his body subsiding, “I-I didn’t..”

“ _Yo sé, mi sol, estoy aquí ahora._ ” Reyes’ voice was warm, tender even. This was not the first time he had experienced a hiccup in Jack’s memories, nor would it be the last.


End file.
